Improvement in revolving fire-arms



Wu H. ELLIOT.

Revolver.

Patented May 29, 1860.V

N. PETERS. PHOTO LJTHOGRAPHER UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 28,461, dated May 29,1860.

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that 1, INM. H. ELLIOT, of Plattsburg, in the county ofClinton, in the State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedPocket-Pistol, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full andexact de pistol, showing the lock and revolving devices.

Fig. 2 is a section of the barrels and frame. Fig. 3 is an elevation ofthe barrels and revolving spring. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the lock andrevolving spring. l

a is the frame; b, barrels bored through and left open at their rear endfor the. purpose kof being charged at the breech; c, breech-plate,which, when employed with cartridgessuch asl are shown in the drawings,serves the purpose of breech-pin d, hammer pivoted underneath andforward of the rear end of the chambers or barrels, while its explodingpoint strikes up in the rear of said chambers or barrels; e',sliding-trigger, (this trigger 'slides in groovescut in the frame whichextends along the lower side of the barrels 5) f, fly uponwhich thetrigger acts to raise the hammer; g, stirrup between the hammer andmainspring; h, mainspring; t', y-spring5j, cam or wedge upon the triggerfor raising the hammer 5 k, iy-lever for depressing the iiy so that thetrigger may be passed back without raising the hammer; l, cartridgesshown within the chambers m,- a, rear support of the barrels 5 a', frontsupport 0f the barrels 5 o, revolving spring fastened to the slidingtrigger 5 0', projection upon the rear end of spring o, which works inthe revolving grooves s upon the barrels; r, grooves in the frame, inwhich the trigger slides; s, revolving grooves in the outer surface ofthe barrels.

The operation of my pistol is as follows: It is intended, when thepistol is carried in the pocket, that -the trigger should occupytheposition in which it is represented at e, Fig-1;

but when it becomes necessary to re it the finger isvplaced in the ringand the trigger pushed forward tothe position represented bythedottedlines. of the wedge strikes the back ot' the y, depressing ittoward the front and passing completely under it, when the ily, by thepower of the springt', assumes its original position. In drawing thetrigger back to iire the pistol the toe of the wedge strikes the fly,carrying it back, and as the trigger continues its motion backward theend of the dy passes up the-inclined plane of the wedge, and whentheltly arrives at the heel of the wedge the hammerv stands atfull-cock, when it maybe fired by continuing the motion of the triggerbackward; or`it may be let down without ring by allowing the trigger topass forward, which it will Y dolby the power of the mainspring. As therevolving spring o is carried back and forth by the trigger theprojection o passes in one direction in the parallel grooves and in theother direction in the diagonal grooves s, causing the barrels torevolve so as to bring another cartridge under the hammer with eachbackward and forward motion of` the trigger. To replace the triggerwithout ring, after it has been pushed out the lymust be depressed so asto allow the trigger to pass backward without raising the hammer. To dothis the lower side of the y-lever k must be pushed -forward by thefinger, when the fly will be depressed sufficiently to eect the object.

A hammer arranged as before stated-viz., with its pivoted end attachedto the pistol'at some point forward of the rear end vof the chambers orbarrels, whileits point v or face strikes up in the rear of saidchambers-oper ates ina peculiar manner, as by this arrangement of thesedevices the point of the hammer penetrates a little into the cartridgeand at the moment of the discharge holds onto itlike a hook, and thuspreventsitfrom being thrown back against the breech-plate with somuchforce as to interfere with the revolution of the barrels; and thisarrangement is essential not only to revolvingl pistols, but to anypistol in i .e I

As it passes forward the heelv which the cartridge and breech-platechange their position in relation to each other between the discharges,as in any case the full recoil and consequent strain of severalcartridges against a breech plate would interfere with their motions.

When a hammer is thus employed and arranged in combination with abreeclrplate its operation is as follows-viz., at the moment thedischarge takes place the exploding point or face ot the hammer restingupon the rim of the cartridge resists so much of the recoil that thecenter of the head of the cartridge is swelled out till it touches thebreech-plate. When the strain upon it is passed the slight elasticitythere is in the shell of the cartridge causes it to a certain extent toassume its original form, drawing away from the breechplate that portionofthe head ofthe cartridge which at thc moment of the discharge restedagainst it. By employing this means of preventing the cartridge frompressing against the breech-plate the chambers may be made small enoughto lit snugly around the shell, and so prevent a discharge ot' gas inthe rear. When no such means of preventing the shell from restingagainst the breech is employed it is necessary that the chambers be madelarge enough, so that the shell will move forward loosely away from thebreech-plate. Such chambers allow a large escape of gas in the rear.

The employment ot' a hammer arranged as shown in the drawings, and ashereinbefore specilied in relation to the barrels, with chambers boredthrough the rear end, and with a breech-plate, is animportantimprovement, as a degree of compactness is obtained by thiscombination that could not possibly be had without it. A hammer arrangedwith its joint or pivotforward andits exploding point orface swingingdown into the frame ofthe pistol, as shown in the drawings, whenemployed with chambers having breech -pins and nipples, makesaverycompact pistol; but when a hammer so arrangedis employed,asspecified, and the breech-pin and nipples dispensed with, all the roomthey occupied is added to the length of the barrel without increasingthe length ot' the pistol. Either this arrangement of the hammer or theemployment of chambers bored through with a breech-plate, when usedseparately, tend greatly to compact a pistol 5 but when these twoconditions are employed together a still greater degree of compactnessis effected than would result from the use of either of them alone.

When a series of barrels are bored through at their rear end for thepurpose of being loaded at the breech they are very much weaker in everyrespect than those that are not bored through or than those that arefilled with a breech-pin, particularly it' in addition to being boredthrough they are chambered out for the reception of a cartridge. When abasepin is employed for such barrels to revolve upon it is essentialthat the center hole should be much larger in the rear than in the frontend, so that the base-pin may be largest at its point ofA support; andto give sucient strength to the chambers it is necessary to put agreater weight of metal in the barrels than would otherwise be required;but by employing support n and n', in combination with barrels boredthrough at their rear end, they may be made as light and 'compactas theycould be if they were not bored through and a basepin were employed.

The employment of wedge or cam j for raising 'the hammer has peculiarladvantages, inasmuch as it allows the required length of motion ot' thetrigger, and at the same time lifts upon the cock through the tly withgreat force, thus making a powerful and closely compact arrangement ofdevices for raising the hammer.

I make no claim to the arrangement of a hammer which is pivotedbelow andforward ot' the rear end of the chamber while its exploding-point orface strikes up in the rear of said chamber, as this was patented by V.M. Wallace August 17, 1835; nor do I in this application make the broadclaim of resisting the recoil of a cartridge by a hammer so arranged;but

Vhat 1 do claim, and wish to have secured to me by Letters Patent, is

1. The employment of a hammer, arranged as specified in relation to thebarrels, when used independentofabreech-pin or nipple, and incombination with chambers bored through at their rear end and with abreech-plate, as specified.

2. The arrangement of support n in the rear of all the barrels andsupport n in front of all the barrels, in combination with a series ofrevolving barrels, when said barrels are bored through at their rear endfor the purpose of being charged at the breech, as set forth. v

3. The employment of a hammer, arranged and operating as herein setforth, in combination with a breech-plate for resisting the recoil ofthe cartridge so as to relieve the breechplate from the pressure of thecartridge-shell, as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination ot' wedge or camj with tiyffor raising the hammer, asspecified.

5. The employment of lever 7c, in combination with yj', as and for thepurpose specified. Washington, D. C., May 1l, 1860.

VV. H. ELLIOT.

Witnesses:

Taos. J. WILLIAMs, SAML. A. POWER.

